January 2013 Challenge! "TEXTURE"

I am excited about my entry for the PCAGOE January 2013 Texture Challenge! I love working with texture, always have, so when this theme came up I was thrilled. I was hoping I could make a piece that would show my love for texture, and I believe that I did. I'm very happy with my entry to this challenge.

I hope that you will vote for your three favorites this week, from January 1-7, at the PCAGOE blog. Thank you for voting. You could win! Three voters will win a prize this month.

Here is my entry, it is a triangular vessel with texture adorning all three sides and the bottom. Each side is different - sort of a three-in-one vessel that can be turned for visual interest. I went for a modern organic look and think that I accomplished that. :)

I added some imprinted patterns with 23k gold leaf accents on each side for a little mellow bling. The textured base and the raised textured pieces are in the same lovely copper color for a unified look.

Side 2

Side 3

I even textured the bottom, and added my "maker's mark" there. All in all, a very enjoyable challenge! Please don't forget to vote at PCAGOE this week. Thank you!

Inspired by Cinnabar

I've been really "into" expressing myself via the monthly challenges that my Etsy guild, Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE) holds each month. It's been very satisfying to carefully consider what each theme says to me and the art that I can create as a result.

For November, the challenge theme was "Asian-inspired", and mostly due to a suggestion from another guild member, I decided to try a faux cinnabar look. I really like it! I had a lot of fun mixing clay colors, then finding just the right hummingbird and flower mold that would give me that Asian flair. Once the piece was baked, it was time to get the finish just right. I added acrylic paint for that antique look, and then I sanded and buffed the piece for quite a long time to get just the right glow on the patina.

Please click on the photo below to see the vessel in all of its glory. :) And, please take a minute to vote in the challenge from Nov. 1-7 by visiting the PCAGOE blog here. There will be 3 voter winners, hopefully one of them will be YOU!

Medieval Crown Jewelry Box - challenge entry

I made this small Medieval Crown Jewelry Box last week for the October edition of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's monthly challenge, the theme being "Medieval".

The jewelry box opens to hold a small piece of jewelry, some coins, or any small items that are special to you.

I had a tough time with this challenge initially, my plan was vague, "a castle", but when it came time to put it into action, I had nuthin'! So I began searching the web, and in the process I learned so much about medieval art and medieval times. I know I took that class in high school, why wasn't it as interesting then?

Finally, I came upon a video tutorial by Tejae Floyde for these small crown boxes, and I decided to see if it would have merit for the challenge. I was so pleased to be able to create this box by using her ideas! It was really fun and I'll be doing more and yes, they will be listed in my Etsy shop soon.

I hope you will vote in the PCAGOE challenge this month, please!! To do so, all you have to do is click on this link - Voting Link - and choose your favorites. Voting is until October 7th. Three voter winners will be happy to choose from the awesome prizes offered, one of them could be you!

Thanks for looking and extra thanks for VOTING!!

And the winners are...

The PCAGOE challenge for January was really fun, and not just the players thought so. PCAGOE has a new format for voter prizes that will prove to be very popular, we believe. There were a lot of voters and the 3 voter winners get to choose their prizes from a big assortment of Etsy shops. Neat!



One of the challenge winners was Susan of 11BOLDStreet of Etsy. She created a new home decor "device" that is totally cool. It's a Pomander Pod filled permanently with spices to brighten up the olfactory senses when you walk into a room. And to refresh, just shake the Pomander Pod and replace on the stand. Susan has made them so that you can turn it over for a different look, as well. Now that's the way to customer's hearts, I'd say.

You can check out Susan's shop here. It's not named 11BOLDStreet for nothing, either. Susan's work is all about BOLD, something she does well.

PCAGOE JANUARY CHALLENGE VOTING IS LIVE!!

Yay, it's voting time again! Please vote for your three favorites at the PCAGOE blog by January 7th, okay? Since Facebook is having some problems with posting links, it's all the more important that you vote using this link...

Thank you! We work hard to bring you fun things to see, and of course if you read the new Prize Format information, you're really wanting to vote this month. You'll get to choose your own prize from a big list of participating Etsy shops.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

NEW PRIZE FORMAT AT PCAGOE: January Challenge

I'm really happy to tell you all that the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy is launching a new way for winner voters to get their prizes when they vote and win in the PCAGOE Monthly Challenge.

YOU WILL CHOOSE YOUR OWN PRIZE from a list of participating shops from now on. It's a really cool concept and we know that you want to know about this so you can be sure to vote. Voting commences the first week of every month. The January Challenge voting will be open from January 1-7.

See the participating shops and what they are offering as prizes at the PCAGOE blog, and get ready to vote!

December Challenge

Artist Trading Cards Head on over to the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy where you can vote in the December Artist Trading Card Challenge, and you may become a voter winner of a handcrafted polymer clay item from one of the PCAGOE artists. Voting runs until December 7th, but don't delay!

Artist Trading Cards are just that - cards for trade. Beautifully decorated and fun to display, after the challenge the artists from PCAGOE will be trading these cards and others between themselves.

On this same note, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming Artist Trading Card swap that I'll be hosting soon. In the meantime, practice making some ATCs... they are the same size as a standard playing card (2.5" x 3.5") and can be decorated in any manner you choose. A bit of art on a card - always fun!

New Artist Trading Cards

I've been working on new Artist Trading Cards, otherwise known as ATCs. They are made from any material (in my case I start with polymer clay, but you can use paper, felt, fabric, whatever floats your boat), and they are always the same size as a standard playing card. Once you have your basic "card", then you get to embellish. It's really fun because there are no rules. I have a large ATC collection from trading with other artists. And than brings me to the one rule about ATCs - they are to be TRADED and never sold!

Here are the two cards I made this week, the blue flower is for the PCAGOE Monthly Challenge for December:


Making these cards is addictive, as they tend to get better and better as you make more of them. Your mind gets going on all the ideas that you "could" do and then it's hard to stop. :)

I hope you'll all get ready for a big Artist Trading Card Swap that I'm planning to host in a couple of months. It will be so much fun!

(Please use my new Widget and sign up for email delivery of my blog posts. It's easier, they come right to your email box, and you can read them or delete them as you wish.... Thanks!)

October Challenge: Make a Polymer Clay Mask

October.... fall leaves and of course the month for MASKS! So the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE) decided to have a Mask Challenge this month. The entries are amazing! Take a look at the mosaic of the masks:



But it can't be a challenge without VOTERS... so I urge you all to click on this link and check out the full size photos and pick your favorite 3 masks and VOTE! It's fun and easy.

Voting is open until October 7th. Here is a peek at the prizes you could win just for voting:


Vote here!

Thank you for voting, and may the best mask win!

And Let the Voting Begin!!

Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's December Challenge - Faux Mokume Gane

The theme for the PCAGOE December Challenge is Mokume Gane. I hope you will click on the link below and go check out the beautiful entries! And please scroll down and vote for your three favorites while you're there.

Click HERE to vote!

Five voters will win prizes created by various PCAGOE artists.

Mokume gane is an ancient Japanese metalsmithing technique which artists in other mediums, including polymer clay, have adapted. The term Mokume gane literally means woodgrain metal or eye of the wood metal, and refers to the elaborate woodgrain patterns which can be created with the technique.

There are many ways to achieve the look of mokume gane in clay. The traditional method is to stack different colors of clay and/or translucent clay and foils, compress the stack, emboss it with a patterned texture sheet, then shave horizontally the raised areas of the stack to reveal the different colors and patterns. It requires a light, but steady hand. If you shave too deeply, you will ruin the pattern. If the cut is too shallow, you won't reveal all of the color bands.

Some artists stack the colored layers and then use a ripple blade to slice vertically, revealing wavy patterns in the clay.

Voting begins December 1, 2010 and ends at midnight Eastern U.S. time on December 7, 2010. Winners will be announced on December 8, 2010 at www.pcagoe.com.

Winning public voters will be notified as soon as possible after voting closes. If you do not respond within one week, your prize will be returned to the pool as unclaimed.

You may also sign up for our monthly newsletter when you vote.

Our members love to hear your comments about the entries. Please take a moment to complete that section when you vote. We also love to hear where you learned about the challenges.

DECEMBER CHALLENGE ENTRIES:



Many of the entries are available in the member's Etsy shop. Click on the member's name or the title link to check any entry you are interested in purchasing.

Thank you again for your votes, and for supporting the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy. We hope you will join us again next month. The theme for January is "Three Color Combo." We hope to have many beautiful entries to inspire and delight you.

A Blue Ribbon Win - Thank You!

^That.. is a blue ribbon! The first blue ribbon I've ever won in my life... and I want to thank all of you who voted for my Winter White Vase in the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy's November Challenge for that blue ribbon. Picture me last night when I learned about the win, giggling like a little child. It was really fun, so thank you for that.

I want to take a moment to thank some others - my family and good friends. Not just for their votes, but for their endless support of me and of my polymer clay passion for all these years. They are the reason that I've been able to move past uncertainty and see the things I create as beautiful.

Now let me mention PCAGOE... you all ROCK and I love being part of a cohesive group of artists who push me to move along in the right direction, who encourage me to enter my art in challenges, and who help me keep listing things in my Etsy shop.

So I'm off to list some new things... and to giggle some more because in this stage of life, I'm the proud winner of a blue ribbon! Woo hoo!

PCAGOE November Challenge - Seasonal

PCAGOE November Challenge Entries - please cast your vote!!

The photo below is a mosaic of the entries for the Polymer Clay Artist's Guild of Etsy November Challenge. The challenge theme of "Seasonal" for this month was a fun theme to undertake. There were many possibilities, and in my case I chose to represent "Winter White".




Here is my "Winter White" entry for this month:


(click on the photo to enlarge)

Please vote for your three favorites here: PCAGOE Blog from November 1st through November 7th and you could win a beautiful polymer clay prize created by one of our talented member artists.

Please click on the photos to enlarge. You can view the entries at the PCAGOE blog link above and click on each entry to view larger.

Thank you for voting.

Southwestern Theme for October Challenge - PCAGOE

The Polymer Clay Artist's Guild of Etsy has opened voting for the October Southwestern Challenge. The entries are fantastic!! Please take a few minutes to look at each entry and vote for your 3 favorites.

Five lucky voters will receive a prize from this month's PCAGOE prize pool. Good luck!

Below is a mosaic photo of the all entries, but you can go to the PCAGOE Challenge blog to vote.

Click on the photo for a larger view:


It is a wonderful challenge, hope you enjoy all the interesting and beautiful art work here.

September Challenge Prizes from PCAGOE members

I want to share the September "Prize Pool" from the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy with all of you. Below is a "mosaic" of the prizes that will be given away to lucky voters in the PCAGOE September challenge. These prizes have been donated by members of the PCAGOE.




The challenge is open to PCAGOE members only, but the public is invited to vote for their top three favorites at www.pcagoechallenge.blogspot.com between September 1 and September 7, 2010, for the chance to win one of these prizes and to determine the outcome of the challenge.

And just WAIT until you see the September challenge entries - this month it is all about transfers and there are so many beautiful entries. Voting is going to be very difficult, that's for sure. The transfer sheets were donated by http://www.piddix.etsy.com/.

For now, you can drool over these great prizes. But next week you can VOTE and maybe win one of them!! Good luck, everyone.